Week 10
Losing Inner-‐Direc2on in It’s a Wonderful Life
Mass society
• Two problems. • How much does inner-‐direc2on maBer in this mass society?
• What happens to local communi2es?
It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)
• Compared with Capra’s early films (such as You Can’t Take It With You), the local connec2ons in community become less and less important.
People leaving community
• George’s younger brother:
People leaving community
• Sam, the capitalist:
No2ce the difference between George and Sam’s clothes, par2cularly their wives’ clothes.
People leaving community
• Violet Bick, the “single girl”:
Movement away from local iden2ty
• People are leaving the small town. • Their reasons for leaving are based on increased mass produc2on.
Movement away from local iden2ty
• Mass produc2on for war.
Movement away from local iden2ty
• Mass produc2on for factories. • Sam owns one.
Movement away from local iden2ty
• Mass produc2on for ci2es (where this is “new love” for young single women).
“Single Girl, Married Girl” (Carter Family -‐1928)
• Single girl, oh single girl She's going dressed up so fine Oh going dressed up so fine
Married girl, oh, married girl She wears any kind [of clothes] Oh, she wears any kind
“Single Girl, Married Girl” (Carter Family -‐1928)
• Single girl, oh single girl She's gone anywhere she please Oh, gone anywhere she please
Married girl, oh married girl Got a baby on her knees Oh, got a baby on her knees
“Single Girl, Married Girl” (Carter Family -‐1928)
• Single girl, oh single girl She goes to the store and buys Oh goes to the store and buys
Married girl, oh, married girl She rocks the cradle [the baby] and cries
“Single Girl” as modern young woman
• The “single girl” as signifying the “new” modern woman.
It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)
• Made in 1946. One of the first films about postwar America.
• Towards a mass society.
What about George Bailey’s inner-‐direc2on?
Scene
• Conversa2on with Father
Conversa2on with Father
• George talks about his inner-‐direc2on: I couldn't face being trapped here (in this town) all my life.
Conversa2on with Father
• George talks about his inner-‐direc2on: It's just this business of nickels and dimes (5円10円単位). [It’s too small-‐scale!]
Conversa2on with Father
• George talks about his inner-‐direc2on: I want to do something big and something important.
Conversa2on with Father
• George talks about his inner-‐direc2on: I want to do something big and something important. I'm going to be an architect and build things.
Conversa2on with Father
• George: I'm going to design new buildings, plan modern ci2es.
I want to be a leader large-‐scale produc2on. Therefore, I want to travel and live in a city.
George Bailey’s inner-‐direc2on
• The scale of George Bailey’s inner-‐direc2on is so big, he doesn’t want a family.
• Because having a family works against his inner-‐direc2on
Inner-‐direc2on hero
• The inner-‐directed hero is ocen ambivalent about staying home and having a family.
• This is ocen the case with Western films. The cowboy, lone gunman and such.
George’s inner direc2on fails
• Unfortunately, George Bailey doesn’t succeed at his inner-‐direc2on.
• He is stuck in a small town, and gradually realizes he fails at his inner-‐direc2on which includes: a. travelling b. becoming an architect c. living in a city
Compare American Madness (1932) and It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)
Compare American Madness (1932) and It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)
In American Madness, the bank depositors end up suppor2ng the banker.
Compare American Madness (1932) and It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)
In It’s a Wonderful Life, everyone is withdrawing, no one is deposi2ng money.
Compare American Madness (1932) and It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)
Perhaps there is less a rela2onship of trust between the bank and its clients.
Bank Run
• Where is the trust? • It’s not so obvious in this film. Local trust is weaker in It’s a Wonderful Life (1946), compared to American Madness (1932).
• Trust becomes a rela2ve rela2onship, not absolute rela2onship.
• Trust becomes a rela2ve (相対的)rela2onship, not absolute rela2onship.
• PoBer: Why you’re worth more dead than alive! [If you died, your insurance would produce more money than you could alive].
• What happens when George Bailey cannot even trust himself?
• He thinks of killing himself. • He will get more money from dying (insurance) than from living.
Middle of film
• Instead of defining “posi2ve” trust between people…
• Money defines “nega2ve” doubt between people… (I want my money back. It’s mine! Not yours!)
• So where is the investment in the future?
Middle of film
• Money represents not trust, but the central power in the form of PoBer’s monopoly.
• No2ce how PoBer hides the money. He hides/owns/controls the informa2on.
Middle of film
• He manipulates the money and informa2on to control the town economically.
• Whoever controls informa2on, controls trust.
• Maybe trust is a maBer of control?
Less trust?
• If trust is only a maBer of control (of informa2on, of money), inner-‐direc2on cannot work.
In the end
• George’s acts [to help others] are not based on his large-‐scale inner-‐direc2on.
• Slowly George Bailey realizes how his iden2ty belongs to the town.
In the end
• We find the local neighbors [everyone George has known his en2re life] pay George back for everything he has done in the past.
• They value George not for his future poten2al, but for his past acts.
In the end
• They value George not for his future poten2al, but for his past acts.
• These past acts were for the local community.
In the end
• Remember, George Bailey’s [father’s] company is called “Building and Loan.”
“Building and Loan”
• They loan money to people so they can build homes. They help people with their inner-‐direc2on [of building homes].
“Building and Loan”
• They loan money to people so they can build homes. They help people with their inner-‐direc2on [of building homes].
• Note how the scale of this inner-‐direc2on is small.
“Building and Loan”
• They loan money to people so they can build homes. They help people with their small-‐scale inner-‐direc2on [of building homes].
• Strangely enough, George realizes that his purpose of work [his direc2on] is the same as his father’s.
Tradi2on over Inner-‐direc2on?
• George ends up being more “tradi2on-‐directed” than “inner-‐directed.”
• Father to George: You were born old, George.
Ambivalence towards inner-‐direc2on
• The film 1. warns of the nega2ve aspects of inner-‐direc2on
Ambivalence towards inner-‐direc2on
• The film 1. warns of the nega2ve aspects of inner-‐direc2on
George Bailey nearly abandons/leaves his family because of his failure at inner-‐direc2on.
Failed Inner-‐direc2on
Ambivalence towards inner-‐direc2on
• George Bailey nearly destroys his family because of his failure at inner-‐direc2on.
• Breakdown scene with family
• George: Everything’s wrong. You call this a happy family! Why did we have to have all these kids!
Ambivalence towards inner-‐direc2on
• The film 2. portrays local community as part of a tradi2on-‐directed society (where people do what their parents do, and where goals are “family-‐oriented.”)
Ambivalence towards inner-‐direc2on
• The film portrays local community as part of a tradi2on-‐directed society.
• This kind of longing for the [destroyed] past is called “nostalgia.”
You Can’t Take It With You (1938)
• Capra’s inner-‐directed films depict characters building new worlds and values.
It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)
• His later films also make us nostalgic about the world inner-‐direc2on has replaced.
• We “miss” parts of the tradi2on-‐directed society…
It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)
• His later films also make us nostalgic about the world inner-‐direc2on has replaced.
• We “miss” parts of the tradi2on-‐directed society…precisely because we have destroyed it.
It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)
• His later films also make us nostalgic about the world inner-‐direc2on has replaced.
• We “miss” parts of the tradi2on-‐directed society…precisely because we have destroyed it
• And because new direc2ons are emerging.
Nostalgia and destruc2on
• Postwar films ocen evoke nostalgia for prewar local small town America.
Nostalgia and destruc2on
• While the destruc2on of prewar local communal trust is a result of postwar American economy, it is also preserved as an “essen2al inner-‐value,” one that may no longer exist in the real world.
Between 1938 and 1946
• What happened? • The war…war2me economy and produc2on. • This rapid economic shic accelerated the forma2on of new social systems.
Between 1938 and 1946
• What happened? • But the war is over.
Between 1938 and 1946
• What happened? • But the war is over. • Our lives are not dedicated to producing for the war.
Between 1938 and 1946
• What happened? • But the war is over. • Our lives are not dedicated to producing for the war.
• So what are we producing for?
Between 1938 and 1946
• Producing for consump2on. • Instead of producing, we are consuming.
Between 1938 and 1946
• Producing for consump2on. • Instead of producing, we are consuming. • How does this affect social character?
New social direc2on/character
• Instead of returning to “tradi2on-‐direc2on,” however, we find a new social character emerging.
• We will examine this new type from next week. This new type is called…
Postwar American iden2ty
• Instead of returning to “tradi2on-‐direc2on,” however, we find a new social character emerging.
• We will examine this new type from next week. This new type is called… “Other-‐direc2on.”
Next week (week 11, 12.6)
• No class • Watch The Best Years of Our Lives • It’s long, but try watching it in two simngs.
• Acer week 11, we will look at postwar Japanese fic2on/film and apply concepts of inner and other-‐direc2on.
Assignment
• Watch The Best Years of Our Lives (「我等の生涯の最良の年」)
Topic: What is the “postwar” town like in this community? Concentrate on the various “spaces” of the community, par2cularly those outside their “homes.”
Assignment
• Also, bring your copy of “Character and Society” from The Lonely Crowd next class (12.13).